Apparatus for affixing fabric to printing tables



W. GEIRINGER Oct. 20, 1953 APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING FABRIC TO PRINTING TABLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1947 Oct. 20, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 17. 1947 [NI/ENTO/P Oct. 20, 1953 w. GEIRINGER APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING FABRIC TO PRINTING TABLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 17, 1947 W. GEIRINGER Oct. 20, 1953 APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING FABRIC TO PRINTING TABLES 17, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec IIIIIIIII III II Patented Oct. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 'WalterjGeiringer Potts Point, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Application December 17, 1947, Serial No. 792,121

A In Australia December 24; 1946 4 Claims. (o1. 101-'407) This invention relates to apparatus such as tables upon which textiles or other suitable fabrics are printed with various designs, 'CO'IOlilS and the'like. These tables comprise an endless blanket adapted for travelling along with the fabric to be printed, spread out andguinmed thereto.

' In such apparatus heretofo're'in use the fabric has been affixed to the blanket by' applying the gum to such blanket and then introducing the saidfa'bric thereto and pressing same in contact therewith. In other apparatus the fabric has been aihxed by'means of an adhesive to a layer of waterproof material so as to provide a waterproof surface on one side of the said fabric, one side of the support was dampened and laidupon the blanket and secured thereto; In this latter construction the fabric 7 was torn from the waterproof material which was in turn separated from the endless blanket and the said-material then washed, dried,"and rolled ready for use again. In addition 'the'printing blanket had-to bewashed and dried. These operations-weretedious, required extra work and-the expenditure of labour, and rendered'the machines too costly to operate on a commercially competitive market. The old apparatus often embodied the drying means on the printing table covering half the length thereof with an enclosure into which hotair was directed thereby a-large portion of such table was rendered useless for printing.

The present invention has'been devised to simplify'the whole process by eliminating-theuse of any extra material to which the textile material was formerly stuck, and thus to considerably v quicken operations. The textile material is quickly and evenly spread in-place to be printed Without the formation of wrinkles, by a very Simple process which permits an appreciable saving in the cost of operation, without risk of failare due to mechanical causes. Printing operations are conveniently carried out, and the printed material rapidly and effectively" dried. The drying apparatus does not obstruct the printing table as in other constructions, and occupies a minimum of space. 7

According to this invention the me'thod' for printing textiles consists in gumming' the material to be printed on its reverse or underside previous to itsbeing passed to thep'rinting table, and after such gumming the said material is fed tothe endless blanket of such printing table and pressed into contact with the said endless blanket to secure saidmat'erial thereto for the printing operation. After printing: the material is readily detached from the said blanket.

The apparatus, according to this invention,

comprises a semi-automatic printing table for printing'textiles and the like, consisting of atable of suitable width and length and of a convenient height,- having set thereon an endless table belt or blanket which passes lengthwise over the table top and is returned on the underside.-

There is provision for'tensioning the endless blanket and one end thereof constitutes the receiving end'whilethe other end thereof constitutes the discharge end.

The receiving end has provisionfor receiving -the free end of the fabric and contacting same with the blanket and may have provision for adiusting the pressure or'tension on such-fabric.

Underneath the fabric a gumming roller is arranged transversely of the machine'fram'ing pref erably below'the top surface of the table and such gumming roller is positioned'to dipinto a gum bath so as to have its surface supplied with the gum. Doctor or squeegee devices are associated with said roller to control the amount ofadhesive supplied to or permitted-to remain on-such roller.

The gumming roller may be mounted-ona framing whereby itcan-be lifted out'of contact with the gum bath. 7

There may be rollers appropriately disposed above the gummin-g roller tel guide the fabric" on to such roller and these guide rollers may be carried on the same framing so as to be movable therewith and allowing'for lesser or greatercontact of the gumming roller with the fabric.-

Thefabric' fed from a roll of-same orother supplyin any suitable manner, say overhead at the front of the gumming roller and led-through appropriate guide and tensioning means, is-led to contact'the gumming roller, the gumbeing applied thereby direct tothe fabric instead-of to the blanket over the full width. The fabric is enters omits return movement, and such: fabric is then led to a drying chamber of any suitable form though preferably of the type later described. The blanket at the discharge end is led over'two driving rollers which are so proportioned-as'to guarantee a good grip o'rifthe s'aid blanket, and on the front portion of saidblanket between these said rollers'jine'ansare -providercl for washing the said blanket. theblanket 3 is not washed or receives any moisture until after the fabric has left it. The means for washing the blanket consists of one or more water jets directed onto the surface thereof and one or a series of revolving brushes working in association with the water jet or jets.

The preferred form of drying chamber consists of one wherein the printed fabric is led over and around a series of rollers disposed transversely of the chamber through which hot air is blown and the dried fabric is then led to a discharge point. This drying chamber may consist of an inner chamber having jacketed side walls which communicate with the said inner chamber through wall orifices. One side jacket space connects with an air supply compartment while the other jacket space connects with an outlet compartment. The air is controlled as to circulation and temperature by suitable means. Fresh air may be drawn in by fan circulation means and humid air expelled.

The roller arrangement may traverse the fabric backwards and forwards and about the chamber and is suitably driven.

A side door or doors is or are provided in the chamber casing.

Guide rollers may be arranged to draw the dried fabric out and lead it to a convenient point, and folding apparatus, as a rocking arm device, may be provided to place the fabric in appropriate folds.

'In order to describe the invention more fully, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a diagrammatic sketch showing the relationship of the various components of the semi-automatic printing table.

Figures 2 and 2A show details of the fabric gumming regulating device.

Figure 3 shows the fabric pressure roller details.

Figure 4 is a perspective of the squeegee or doctor quick release.

Figure 5 shows the revolving cleaning brush adjustment.

Figure 6 is a schematic elevation of the drying chamber showing the disposition of the fabric therein, and also the folding device.

Figure '7 is a schematic cross section of the chamber showing the air conditioning and circulating arrangements,

Figure 8 shows the trip.

The semi-automatic printing table for printing textile and the like consists of a table I to which are attached the various components later described, and which at all times provides a level plane support for the upper portion of an endless belt or blanket 6 to which the fabric 1 is progressively attached as later explained whilst being printed.

The endless blanket 6 is mounted on a series of rollers so that it may be moved as required in order to discharge already printed fabric 1 and to receive further portions of fabric for printing. Motion is imparted to the blanket 6 by means of two rollers 12 and I3 which are driven by a motor or other power means indicated at 20.

The blanket 6 is supported at the opposite end of the table I by a roller 2 and is further guided and supported by rollers 4, 5 and I4. Correct tension and tracking of the blanket 6 is provided by roller 5 which may be adjusted vertically in relation to rollers 4.

trip switch and adjustable Adjacent to roller 2 at the receiving end of the machine is mounted a gum'ming roller 8 whose lower portion dips into a gum bath II. This roller 8 revolves whenever the blanket 6 is in motion and may also be revolved when the blanket 6 is at rest by means of handle 35 (see Figures 2 and 2A) which engages with the roller 8 per medium of a free wheel clutch 34. As the roller 8 revolves its surface passes under two squeeges or doctors 9 and 10, both of which are adjustable in relation to the said roller 8 and both of which are provided with a quick release device to facilitate cleaning operations without disturbing the working adjustments.

Doctor 9 is formed to control the amount of gum available to be applied to the fabric 1 indicated in dotted lines as it passes over the roller 8 and doctor H) to remove any lint which may be deposited on the roller 8.

Referring to Figure 4 the methods of adjustment and quick release will now be explained which apply equally to the parts or doctors 9, l0 and It. A suitable blade 48 is securely clamped between bar 5| and plate am by means of a suitable number of screws 5Ib. This bar 5| is adjustably fastened to a bracket 49 by means of a screw and nut 50 the said screw passing through a slot 50a in bracket 49. When the nut 50 is slackened, the bar 5! may be raised or lowered and/or rotated in slot 50a, in order to set its height and/or angle of incidence in relation to the roller to which it is applied.

Bracket 49' is fastened to bracket 54 by means of a screw and nut 52 the said screw passing through a slot 52a in bracket 49. With the nut 52 slackened the degree of contact between the rubber blade 48 and the relevant roller may be set by means of adjusting screw 53.

The quick release device consists of a distance piece 56 pivotable about pin 59 and slot at 58 so as to engage with the headed pin 51. The distance piece 56 would normally remain in engagee ment with the pin 51 and the bracket 54 would then be firmly held against the upright portion of the frame 55, but with the distance piece 56 disengaged from pin 51 (as shown in Figure 4), bracket 54 is free to be moved away from the upright portion of 55, and as the head of pin 51 is formed to pass freely through hole 510,, the complete doctor assembly may be removed from the machine and subsequently replaced without disturbing the setting of the blade 48.

The fabric 1 to be printed is fed into the receiving end of the machine from a suitable holder la and after passing over the tensioning device l2 and the gumming roller 8 is pressed into adhesive contact with the blanket 6 by means of roller 3.

As the correct functioning of both device l2 and pressure roller 3 have an important bearing on the efficient operation of the machine, they will be explained in detail with the aid of Figures 2, 2A and 3 respectively.

The tensioning device is primarily designed to accurately govern the amount of gum applied to the underside of the fabric by controlling the arc of contact between the said fabric and tact between the roller 8 and the fabric 1 is determined by the position of the crown blade 28 in relation to the roller 24 adjacent to the pivot 23, such position being adjusted by means-of adjusting screw 21.

Lever 22 is rotatableabout pivot 23, and by means of a handle 33 pivoted-to the main frame at 3|, and links 29 and 3ll may-be raised from or lowered to-the working position as required, without disturbing thetension of the fabric 1 or its degree of contact with roller 8. Thepivots of roller 24C workin a slot 22a in lever 22, the length and position of the said slot being arranged to permit roller 24C to move toward and rest upon roller 24B as lever 22 is rotated away from the working position, thus firmly holding fabric 1 at the point where it enters the tensioning device and thereby assisting to preserve the predetermined tension of fabric 1.

The pressure roller 3 is so mounted and controlled as to provide for extremely fine adjustment of the pressure applied to any given fabric to ensure wrinkle free adhesion to the blanket 6. The said roller 3 revolves in bearing blocks 31 slidably mounted in ways 47. The device is formed to provide three conditions, namely (a) as shown in the diagram Figure 3 wherein the pressure applied to the fabric 1 would be that due to the weight of the roller and its bearing blocks only; (1)) with adjusting screw 39 raised so that its terminal washer engages with the housing 38, thus relieving the pressure applied under condition (a) above; with adjusting screw 39 screwed down until its terminal washer engages the top of bearing block 31 thus added pressure due to the weight 45 through lever 43, fulcrum 44, link 46, lever 40, nut 4i, and fulcrum 42.

At the discharging end of the machine the printed fabric 1 is stripped from the blanket 6 by being led over roller 2|.

The fabric then passes to the drying oven as will be later explained, and the blanket progressively passes through a cleansing zone, consisting of a suitable number of rotary brushes I driven off the main drive through a gear train, chain or belt, and a corresponding number of water spray pipes 13. On the trailing side of the roller [3 a squeegee is mounted, as previously described herein, for the purpose of removing any residual moisture from the blanket 6. Waste water is collected in trough ll.

Reference to Figure 5 will show the method adopted to provide ready adjustment of the brushes to compensate for wear. Each brush [5 revolves in bearing blocks 60 which are mounted on angle brackets 6|. The said angle brackets are attached to subframe members 65 by means of set screws 62 and 63. Adjustment equivalent to the length of slots 64 may be made by rotating the brackets 6i on set screws 62. The brackets may be securely locking in position by means of set screws 62 and 63.

After passing over roller H the printed fabric 1 enters a drying oven 66 in such a manner that the printed side of the fabric does not come in contact with the roller 68 until the print is dry. This point is represented in Figure 6 of the drawings by rollers 69 whence it will be noted that the travel direction of the fabric 1 is reversed and that it finally leaves the oven 66 at guide roller 11, passing thence to rollers 18. From these rollers the fabric 1 passes crank 8| through link 80 and is folded as indicated at 82 on table 83.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7 the drying oven consists of an outer casing 66 and an inner casing 67. Both side walls of the inner casing 6 -'61 are perforated with a number-of holeslfl so positioned in relation to the fabric 1: and to one another as to ensure a steady flow of 'dry air from one side to the other through the rows or fabric 1.

Suitably conditioned air is supplied by a closed circuit duct system comprising inlet" duct"ll, outlet ductJILcircuIating fan- 13 and air conditioning unit 14, supplemented by an auxiliary air inlet I5 controlled by a throttle l6. 7

Doorsvare provided 'in both the outer and inner casings and are so'proportioned that they may be opened during operation of the oven without materially disturbing the conditioner circulation of the enclosed air.

Motion is transmitted from the main drive to the live rollers in the drying oven 66 and to the folding device 8| by either a gear train or chain, the speed of the blanket 6 and the oven and associated rollers being synchronised by means of an infinitely variable gear and clutch l9 interposed between the main drive and drive of the oven and the like.

In order to facilitate accurate matching of intricate patterns during the printing process, a trip switch 84 is mounted on table I as shown in Figure 8, and is designed to be operated by a trip finger 85 which may be clamped to the blanket 6 in any position desired.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for printing textiles and the like comprising a table, an endless blanket mounted thereon so that the upper portion thereof traverses the top of said table from end to end and returns on the underside thereof; a gumming roller spaced from the receiving end of said blanket and dipping into a gum bath on its underside, means for passing material to be printed over said roller for the application of gum to the underface of the material .prior to passage of the material to the said blanket; a pressure roller positioned at the receiving end of said blanket to contact the said material on its ungummed side to press the gummed side into contact with the said blanket so as to cause adhesion of the said material thereto while the blanket is traversed over the said table; and a tensioning device cooperating with the gumming roller and the material to regulate the tension of the material and thereby to regulate the amount of gum applied to the said material.

2. A semi-automatic printing table for printing textiles according to claim 1, wherein the pressure roller is contacted with the belt in a resilient manner by means of its bearings being slidably mounted in supporting brackets or the like and having one or more weights bearing thereupon through the agency of lever linkage to form a yielding pressure on said bearings.

3. A semi-automatic printing table for printing textiles and the like according to claim 1, wherein at least one doctor is associated with the roller to regulate the quantity of gum on its surface for application to the fabric to be printed.

4. A semi-automatic printing table for printing textiles and the like according to claim 1, wherein the tensioning device consists of three idler rollers, a framing supporting said rollers, means for extending and contracting the framing to regulate the distance of the rollers apart and so regulating the arc of contact between the material and the gumming roller, and supporting means for said framing including means for swinging said framing about an axis sub- 7 stantially identical with the axis of one of said rollers to terminate contact of the material with said gumming roller while still maintaining a. predetermined tension on the said material.

WALTER GEIRING-ER. 5

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 10 224,949 Prang Feb. 24, 1880 433,352 Kurten July 29, 1890 683,162 White Sept. 24, 1901 1,315,377 McGiehan Sept. 9, 1919 Number 8 Name 7 Date Brown Oct. 31, 1922 Harris Apr. 24, 1928 Gorner Sept. 1, 1931 Kunedt Jan. 5, 1932 Case Oct. 30, 1934 Hefner July 2, 1935 Wheelwright Oct. 15, 1935 Staude Apr. 23, 1940 Tillett Aug. 6, 1940 Overlack Oct. 8, 1940 Foard 1 May 20, 1941 Foard Feb. 13, 1945 

